The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-29
SIX TIMES A BRIDE.
Remarkable Marital Record of Mrs.
Josephine Baxter.
Cor. Cincinnati TYmes.Star.

Remarkable Marital Record OF MIS-
Josephine Baxter.
Cor Cincinnati Times-StGr.
The recent death of Mrs. Josephine Baxter
at her home in Johannesburg recalls to those
who knew her tho remarkable series OF
vcissitudes through which she passed dur
ing her eventful life. Her married life was
an extraordinary one, and in detail reads
more like fiction than a story Of real life
She was six times a bride and five times
widow Born in Canadaigua, in August,
1882, her maiden name was Josephine Tabor.
As a child she was the acknowledged beauty
Of the neighborhood, and everybody who
remembers her as young lady recalls her
particularly vivacious and delightful man
ners. In 1850, when she was Is years
of age she was sent to the Palmyra Acad-
envy. From the day of her arrival she was
the conceded belle of the academy.
Her affection soon set upon an impecun-
ious but smart young teacher in the acad-
envy named Odell, and one night in Deem
ber 1857, she eloped with him. her father
and mother had repeatedly begged her to
discard Odell, and when the announcement
of the marriage was made they were wild
with grief. Josephine returned TO Canaan
daigua two weeks later, and stopping at
hotel there, begged for a reconciliation with
her parents, who remained obdurate, and
she went to Toledo to struggle for hvell-
hood with her husband. He became a
teacher in night school, and to make ends
meet his young wife was compelled to do
sewing in her rooms.
In July, 1858. Odel died of consumption,
leaving the widow dependent on her own
labor. She was too proud to return to her
home and ask for help from her parents,
but maintained herself by her needle until
FEBRUARY, 1860, when she married Clarence
Cushman, a wealthy bachelor pork packer
at Cincinnati She was then -,
and, Notwithstanding her hard toll for
livelihood, was as handsome as ever. She
lived in quiet style and no couple were ever
more devoted to one another Two children
were born to them, but both died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Cushman went to Europe in
1862 In Rome the husband caught the
Roman fever, of which he suddenly died.
The young woman, again awidow, returned
to London only to find that her husband had
been insolvent for several weeks previous to
his death. She was left with only few
thousand dollars. For year or two she
was a governess in the house of a London
banker and then, losing all of her money in
an unfortunate speculation, she returned to
America. t,7.
For two years she was q saleswoman in
New York dry goods store. In June, 1866,
she was married at Nyack, N. Y, to Lieut..
Oscar Williams, of the United States army,
and went with him to Fort Sully, Oak.
They lived happily together, and Mrs.
Williams became favorite at the Fort. In
August 1857, her husband was drowned and
his wife became for third time widow.
Her father, who had heard of his only
daughters misfortunes, begged her to re-
turn to her home and be forgiven, but she
would not 60 For two years she was a
governess in the family of Louisville mer-
chant She married Rev. Edward Lukes at
Covington, KY, in 1863. Her husband was
sent little later as Presbyterian mission
ary to India and she accompanied him.
They made their home successfully in In
dia, Hong Kong and Honolulu, in each of
which places Mrs. Lukes was well known
for her devotion to her husband, who was a
consumptive.
Mr.. Lukes died in the Sandwich Islands
in 1874, and his widow made her way back to
America with her husbands body. For a
year she made her home with her brother
near this place, then removed to Philadel-
phia, where she entered a private hospital
as nurse. Among the patients to whom she
ministered, was Graham P. Estey, a sugar
and molasses merchant at New Orleans. He
fell desperately in love with his nurse, and
after months of very warm courtship, mar
ried her in March, 1878. Their happy home
in New Orleans was broken up by her hus-
bands failure the next year ana mis- suicide
because of his financial losses.
Left widow for the fifth time and broken
in health and spirit, Mrs. Estey returned to
her brothers home a few weeks after her
husbands death. For several months she
was very i'll and was convalescing when her
father died of old age. r 81ol.-
Until 1881 she lived with her brother, and
about that time became acquainted with a
wealthy and retired gold miner named
Albert Baxter. They wers married at
Palmyra, in 1882. The couple spent year
or more in travel in Europe and Egypt.
During the past year Mr.. Baxter has been
engaged in building magnificent mansion
for their occupancy, near Ithaca. 1t was
their intention to spend their remaining
days there, and Mrs. Baxter. who had
known so many disappointments and be-
reavements looked forward with pleasure
to her bright prospects But in all this there
was still another disappointment for her.
She was attacked about two months ago,
when about to remove to her mansion, by a
fatal disease.